Skip to contentThe Asahi Shimbun >Culture >Manga & Anime >articleBy AZUSA USHIO/ Staff WriterJanuary 1, 2023 at 07:00 JSTAn autograph signed by Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, on the back of the front cover of “The Ghost of Kyiv” manga (From a Twitter account)A self-published manga by an amateur cartoonist in Japan themed on a mythical Ukrainian jet fighter hotshot is now all the rage in war-torn Ukraine.Eponymously titled “The Ghost of Kyiv,” the 16-page comic book features a “ghostly” Ukrainian air force pilot who lines up Russian fighter jets from behind as they penetrate the skies over Ukraine and brings down every one of them.It was created by Juko Matsuda, a fanzine artist living in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, who is known as Matsuda HI (Heavy Industries) outside Japan.He had no idea how to contact Matsuda, but when he approached the Ukrainian ambassador to Japan through Facebook, the diplomat served as a mediator and helped the company publish the manga.I’m glad it has attracted the attention of those who are usually not interested in military matters.”Osaka Metro’s ‘spacecraft’ subway train bound for expoJanuary 1, 20232 missing after landslide rips through small northern hamletDecember 31, 2022Princess Kako turns 28, hopes people can reach ‘their potential’December 29, 2022Visit this page for the latest news on Japan’s battle with the novel coronavirus pandemic."